President Nasheed set a good example!
Photo: AFP
We have learnt from the media reports that Maldives' President Mohamed Nasheed stepped down after the police and army clashed in the streets amid protest over the arrest of a top judge. Mr. Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation with the area of 115 sq. miles and 0.40 million people including eighty thousand expatriate workers, had gone to military headquarters on his own initiative for advice before presenting his resignation in a nationally televised address wherein he said, “I don't want to hurt any Maldivians. I feel my staying in power will only increase the problems, and it will hurt our citizens.” He also added, “So the best option available to me is to step down.” This is a good example set by Mr. Nasheed. We know that Mr. Nasheed was a former political prisoner and rose from grassroots activism and journalism, and came to power after holding a pro-democracy movement with local and foreign support, in opposition to the 30-year autocratic rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who repeatedly threw him in jail over a period of six years. We remember Mr. Nasheed requested his countrymen after his victory to forgive the former ruler and said it was 'a test of our democracy how we treat' the former dictator. It is a fact that Mr. Nasheed achieved a good reputation internationally, especially for his campaign against climate change but he could not overcome his national crises. However, we hope the Maldivians will not compromise on democracy.
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